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Rb Hip Hop

Justin Bieber Shares ‘Welcome Home’ Message for Chris Brown After London Arrest & Release

The R&B star was freed after his May 15 arrest over an alleged assault in 2023.

Justin Bieber and Chris Brown

Justin Bieber and Chris Brown

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Pierre Suu/Getty Images

Justin Bieber has shared a message of support for Chris Brown after the R&B star was released on bail following his arrest in London.

On Thursday (May 22), Brown celebrated his release by sharing a photo of himself on Instagram walking with a plane visible in the background, as if he’d just stepped off his flight. “Cook, remain humble,” the singer captioned the post.


In the comments, Bieber shared kind words. “Welcome home,” the pop star simply wrote.

Brown’s post and Bieber’s comment come one day after a London judge released the former on bail in the amount of $6.7 million, also ruling that the “Under the Influence” artist has to surrender his passport when not traveling for his upcoming Breezy Bowl XX Tour. The North American and European trek is scheduled to kick off June 8.

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Brown was arrested May 15 while at his hotel in Manchester on “suspicion of grievous bodily harm,” officials told The Independent. The alleged incident took place at a nightclub in February 2023, with prosecutors claiming that the two-time Grammy winner attacked music promoter Abraham Diaw with a tequila bottle.

After initially being denied bail, Brown was released on Wednesday (May 21).

The “Forever” artist and Bieber have worked together in the past, collaborating on “Next to You” in 2011 and “Don’t Check on Me” with Ink in 2019. The former reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the latter peaked at No. 67 on the chart.

Bieber’s “welcome home” comment isn’t the first time he’s publicly expressed support for Brown. In 2019, he praised his past duet partner on Instagram, writing, “Everyone wants to wait til people die To give them the credit they deserve.”

“I’m calling it now when CB passes away after a long full life, you will miss what you had in front of you the whole time … trust me watch you will see,” he continued at the time. “The people who have over looked this mans talent because of a mistake he made.. you need to reevaluate! Love you @chrisbrownofficial.”

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This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

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Panos A. Panay
Raphaële Sohier

Panos A. Panay

Features

Recording Academy President Panos A. Panay on Canada, Diljit Dosanjh and the Grammys’ Global Future

The influential music executive returned to a place he has called home at NXNE for the Billboard Global Summit. Here's why it was particularly meaningful for him.

The music landscape is changing quickly, and Panos A. Panay, the President of the Recording Academy and the Grammys, is right in the middle of it.
This week (June 11), Panay interviewed Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh as part of the Billboard Summit at NXNE. For him, it represented a global shift in music where sounds carrying different cultures and languages are pushing against the "Anglo-American" mainstream. Celebrating the universality of music in the diverse city of Toronto holds special meaning for him.
Panay spent some formative years in Canada, and says in some ways he considers it as much like home as Cyprus, where he was born. It shaped how he sees the world and his career, and it's been important in his work at the Grammys, which is also going through changes. Since he started his job in 2021, along with CEO Harvey Mason Jr., Panay has been helping the Academy adapt to a new generation of artists, represent diversity and navigate the changing music scene.

Before he was at the Recording Academy, Panay founded the online platform Sonicbids, which brought him to NXNE many times. Again, it feels like coming home.

In this exclusive interview with Billboard Canada, Panos discusses Dosanjh, how the Grammys are changing and the future of Canadian music.

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